Life after life
by katrinkam
Summary: London, 1887. Dracula meets Mirena again.
1. Chapter 1: A meeting at the street

_Denn_ _die_ _Todten_ _reiten_ _schnell_.

For the dead travel fast. Trust that your corruption make haste in catching you.

.

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London, 1888

He saw her in the street, speaking with an old woman who sold flowers. The basket was full of roses, violets and lilies, and a young woman smiled and picked up flowers.

_Mirena_...

Yes, it was Mirena. Her hair had reddish tint, partly covered by a hat matching her her stylish green walking gown, but it was her.

_Mirena_ turned her head, like feeling him staring, and their eyes met. Glimmer of recognition washed over her face, then she turned away, back to the old woman, and chose a posy of yellow roses.

Quickly, trying to look casual, Vlad Dracula approached her.

.

"Beautiful."

Mina turned her head and saw a handsome dark-haired man in black clothes. He smiled a bit, nodding toward the posy. "The flowers."

"Yes," Mina said curtly. She was not going to encourage stange men approaching her in the streets. She turned back to the old woman, smiled and paid the flowers.

"_Although we are __separated_ _in_ _this_ _life, in the_ _next we will meet again, as __nothing_ _is so strong than love_..."

Beautiful words of the poem stopped Mina´s steps. She turned back to Vlad.

"Do I know you?"

"We have met many years ago. I am Prince Vlad of Transylvania."

,

**AN: Sorry that I didn´t find the real poem Vlad read to Mina.**


	2. Chapter 2: A rose red, a blue flower

**AN: Thank you for all the reviews, likes and follows!**

Hillingham estate

"A Prince, no less?" Lucy Westenra sounded less than impressed. "He must have been fooling you."

Mina sighed. "Probably." Her thoughts were lingering in Vlad, more than she understood herself. He reminded her of something...

_ The castle towering above the mist-shrouded spruce forest, a land beyond the forest..._

Lucy threw a low-cut red dress on her bed. A matching choker covered her neck. "I will wear that at the party."

"It´s quite... unfashionable." The dress was gorgeous, of red velvet and artificial roses, fragrant of cleanliness and flower perfume.

"It is not my fault that juvenile minds are in the sewer." Lucy stressed slightly the word "juvenile."

"Lucy all grown up?" Mina smiled a bit.

"Very much," red-haired girl said, her gaze lingering in the mirror. "Mina..."

"What?"

"Nothing. What you are going to wear?"

.

Vlad recognized Mina at once. She was standing near the window; she was wearing a blue silk dress, trimmed with white lace, and her golden hair, tinted with red, was combed up. She was watching the dancers and smiling.

"We will meet again, Miss Mina."

Mina turned and saw Vlad. He was wearing gorgeous, wine red velvet coat with a golden dragon embroidery in the both sides of the collar.

"Are you telling me we have royals in Hillingham?" Mina blurted.

Vlad smiled a bit. "I have bought Carfax estate. I am basically your neighbor. Miss Westenra´s mother invited me here."

"I´m sorry..." Mina began, understanding that she had insulted her guardian´s highborn guest.

"There is no reason for it. A stranger telling to you that he is a prince, a sheikh..." Vlad offered his hand, when the harpist began new melody from The Mikado, the popular Gilbert and Sullivan operetta. "May I get this dance?"

Mina smiled. "Yes."

When they swirled in the floor, Mina found out that her partner was excellent dancer.

"You told that we have met years ago," Mina said. "When? I don´t remember you."

"I want _you_ to remember it." Vlad looked suddenly very serious.

Mina laughed. "Give me a hint."

"Lucy!"

Mrs Westenra´s scream made Mina to turn. Lucy had fainted and her dancing partner, Dr Seward, was rising her from the floor. Mina hurried to her friend´s side. Lucy was flushed and breathed heavily. Her eyes were closed.

"I will carry her to her room," Seward said to Mrs Westenra. "Mrs Westenra, send the guests away. Miss Mina, stay with your mother."

Mina wrapped protecting arm around Mrs Westenra´s shoulders.


	3. Chapter 3: Lucy

**Telegraph** **from** **Dr Seward** **to Professor** **Abraham** **Van Helsing**

Come to London at once Stop Dear friend seriously ill Stop I´m desperate Stop

Jack Seward

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"I must go away, Mina."

Lucy´s red night gown shimmered in the gaslight. Her face looked so pale that her skin had blue tint.

"What do you mean?" Mina straitened out her friend´s pillows.

"I made a covenant with him."

_She is delirious, _Mina thought.

"He will come to you..." Lucy whispered.

"Please, you must sleep. Doctor Van Helsing is coming soon, he will help you."

Lucy closed her eyes. Soon her chest rose and lowered peacefully; Mina checked quickly that everything in the room was like it should be and closed the door.

.

There were a book on Mina´s bedside, near the vase of fresh red roses. Servants had changed the flowers, Mina thought, and someone - Mrs Westenra? - had brought the book.

_The Vampyre_ _in folklore and literature_, the ornate golden letters on the cover said. Mina smiled and opened it.

The castles and coffins, bats and red roses filled the illustrations. Some were color, some black-and-white. They were marvelous.

_The village graveyard was opened and all the nine bodies, died during the illness, were found to be fresh and red-faced, unlike other corpses. Blood they had drunk dribbled from their mouths. Only ways to destroy them were staking, decapitation, and burning the remains._

Mina sat on the chair to read. She did not notice how the clock was approaching midnight, before the scream from Lucy´s room almost made her heart stop.

It was Mrs Westenra´s voice.

Mina put the book to the bed and ran to Lucy´s room.

First she saw Mrs Westenra, who stood by Lucy´s bed, hands over her mouth. Then she saw Lucy was laying on the bed, blood dribbling from two tiny blue marks in her throat. Her open dead eyes stared at the ceiling.

French windows were open and the curtains moved in the night wind.


End file.
